Boltless fish and bed plate for railway-rails.



No. 718,317. A I PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

W. R. CRAWFORD.

BOLTLESS FISH AND BED PLATE FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

APPLICATION FILEDYOGT. 6, 1902.

N0 MODEL wwness ov W74 entor to the bed-plate 2 by means of lugs 6, formed NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM R. CRAWFORD, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISADORE L. BAUERS, OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

BOLTLESS FISH AND BED PLAT E FOR RAILWA Y- RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,317, dated'January 13, 1903.

Application filed October 6, 1902. Serial No. 126,095. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,W1LLIAM R. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Worth, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boltless Fish and Bed Plates for Railway-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bed-plates and fishplates for railway-rails, and more particularly to fish-plates and bed-plates so constructed that rails can be secured in place without the necessity of making holes in the ends of the rails and putting bolts therethrough to be secured therein by nuts; and the object is to simplify rail-joints and make the ends of the abutting rails strongervand to repair broken rails, as hereinafter described.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the following description, and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application and specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective viewof the ends of two railway-rails, showing my invention applied to the rails. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the keys. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the dogs for attaching the rail and the bed-plate and the fish-plate together. Fig. 4 is a plan View of the ends of two rails, showing the rails prepared to be joined by my improvements. Fig. 5 is an interior side elevation of the fish-plate,which is combined with the bedplate, this view being shown to illustrate the two lugs which are formedwith these two elements for holding the rails in place. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the bed and fish plates, the view being partly broken and in section to show the manner of attaching the loose fish-plate to the bed-plate.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

My invention consists of a combined fishplate 1 and bed-plate 2 and a detachable fishplate 3, secured to the rail ends by means of dogs 4, which are secured in place by keys 5. The detachable fish-plate 3 is further secured integral with the plate 3 and registering in holes formed in the bed-plate, as shown by Fig. 6. The combined fish-plate 1 and bedplate 2 have lugs 7 formed integral therewith to be engaged by recesses 8 in the bases of the rails, A and B representing the ends of two abutting rails. The dogs 4 are provided with bases 9, which are countersunk in the base or bed plate 2, as shown in Fig. 3. The dogs pass up through the bed-plate 2, through recesses 10, formed in the base of the rail, and through holes made in the detachable fish-plate 3 and are secured therein by long keys 5. The keys are long, so that they will not be easily knocked out of the dogs or out of recesses or notches formed in the upper parts of the dogs. As a further means of preventing the keys from being easily removed from the dogs the keys are split at the ends, as shown in Fig. 1 One of the dogs engages both of the abutting rails by reason of notches made in the ends of the rails.

The fish-plate 1 and the bed-plate 2 are first placed against or fitted to the ends of the rails, and then the fish-plate 3 is adjusted to the other sideof the ends of the rails and then secured to the rails by means of the dogs, the lugs of fish-plate 3 registering in the holes formed in the bed-plate 2.

Having fully described my invention, what 'I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rail-joint comprising a combined fish and bed plate and a detachable fish-plate and dogs passing through said bed-plate and said detachable fishplate and through recesses formed in the-bases of the abutting rails. 2. 'A rail-joint comprising a combined fish and v bed plate having lugs formed integral therewith at the juncture of said fish and bed plate adapted to engage recesses formed in the bases of the abutting rails, a detachable fish-plate, and means for securing the same to the ends of the abutting rails and to said bed-plate. v

3; A rail-joint comprising a combined fish and bed plate having lugs formed integral therewith at the juncture of said fish and bed plate adapted to engage recesses formed in the bases of the abutting rails, a detachable fish-plate having lugs registering in recesses formed in the opposite edge of said bed-plate, and means for securing said detachable fish plate to the bases of the abutting rails and to said bed-plate.

4. Boltless fish and bed plates for forming joints of abutting railway-rails comprising a combined fish and bed plate engaging one side of the webs and bases of the abutting rails, a detachable fish-plate having lugs registering in recesses formed in said bed-plate for engaging the other side of the webs and bases of the abutting rails, and dogs for securing said detachable fish-plate to said bedplate and to the bases of the abutting rails.

5. Boltless fish and bed plates for forming joints of abutting railway-rails comprising a combined fish and bed plate engaging one side of the webs and bases of the abutting rails and having lugs formed integral therewith at the juncture of said fish and bed plate adapted to engage recesses formed in the bases of said rails and a detachable fish-plate engaging the other side of the webs and bases of said rails.

6. Boltless fish and bed plates for forming joints of abutting railway-rails comprising a combined fish and bed plate engaging one side of the webs and bases of the abutting rails and having lugs formed integral therewith at the juncture of said fish and bed plate adapted to engage recesses in the base of said rails, a fish-plate engaging the other side of said Webs and bases and having lugs registering in holes in said bed-plate, and dogs provided with suitable keys for securing said last-named fish-plate to said bed-plate and inclosing the edge of said bases.

In testimony whereof I set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of September, 1902.

WILLIAM R. CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

A. L. JACKSON, J. W. STITT. 

